System and method for automatically generating networked service installation based on subscription status

• US 7,660,871 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Koh, Jerry K., Gentile, Elizabeth J., Hebenstreit, Eric, Miranda-Steiner, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US10/855,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-203, 709217-219, 709/222, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A system and related techniques prepare and condition the installation of new networked service or application components, such as Internet services, based on an individual subscriber'"'"'s subscribed-to services, features and other components. A subscriber to an Internet service may choose to add, for example, a componentized subscription to a music or video download service to their access plan. When the user inserts a CDROM or accesses a Web site for installation, the user may be prompted for a username or passport-type object to authenticate their account. The user may then be presented with a set of available service selections, extensions or enhancements to choose to add to their plan. Those available selections may be prefiltered or prequalified, for example, based on geographic location, account spending or access limits, language or other criteria. Because the installation engine delivers components which are intelligently filtered at time of installation, the service components or applications can be tailored to that specific user'"'"'s needs and options, instead of downloading or installing a monolithic package which may contain services not available or of interest to that user.

Claims

1. A computer system for installing a computer network service component on a client associated with a user, wherein the user subscribes to a computer network service, the system comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) that guides the user through an installation process for one or more service components associated with a computer network service, wherein the GUI receives a service installation request from the user, the service installation request comprising a request for the one or more service components;

a subscription database comprising a subscribed services list, wherein the subscribed services list comprises subscriber status information corresponding to the user, wherein said subscriber status information comprises information indicating the service components that the user is permitted to receive based on the user'"'"'s subscription;

an installation engine that manages the distribution of computer network service components to the client, the installation engine communicating with the user interface and the subscription database, wherein the installation engine references an available components list to identify a set of components that are available to the user, and further wherein the installation engine compares the available components list against the subscribed services list to identify a set of eligible components, the eligible components comprising available components that the user is permitted to receive, wherein the installation engine provides the set of eligible components to the GUI, which displays the set of eligible components to the user; and

a local installation server that receives a selection of at least one of the set of eligible components from the user and retrieves the at least one eligible component from a component store, wherein the local installation server provides the at least one eligible component to the installation engine for installation onto the client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more service components comprises a component corresponding to at least one of network access, network services and media services.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one service component comprises a component corresponding to at least network services and media services, the network services comprising at least one of email service, Web hosting service, antivirus service and firewall service, and the media services comprising at least one of network image exchange, music download service and video download service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the service installation request is generated in an installation routine initiated via computer readable media.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service installation request is generated in an installation routine initiated via a network download.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the installation engine qualifies the set of available subscriber components against at least one of geographic criteria, marketing criteria and language criteria.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein installing the at least one service component comprises initiating a new service installation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein installing the at least one service component comprises an update to an existing service component.

9. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for installing a computer network service component on a client associated with a user, wherein the user subscribes to a computer network service, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to the user, wherein the GUI guides the user through installation of the computer network service component on the client;

receiving a service installation request from a user, wherein said service installation request comprises a request for installation of one or more service components associated with a computer network service onto a client device associated with the user;

initiating a local installation engine that communicates with a subscription database to identify appropriate service components for installation, wherein the subscription database comprises a subscribed services list that indicates service components that the user is permitted to receive based on the user'"'"'s subscription;

referencing an available components list to identify a set of service components that are available to the user;

comparing the available components list against the subscribed services list to identify a set of eligible components, wherein the set of eligible components comprises a set of available service components that the user is permitted to receive; and

presenting to the user, via the GUI, the set of eligible components and options that allow the user to select one or more of the eligible components for installation.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the computer network service comprises at least one of network access, network services and media services.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the computer network service comprises at least network services and media services, the network services comprising at least one of email service, Web hosting service, antivirus service and firewall service, and the media services comprising at least one of network image exchange, music download service and video download service.

12. The media of claim 9, further comprising generating the service installation request in an installation routine initiated via computer readable media.

13. The media of claim 9, further comprising generating the service installation request in an installation routine initiated via a network download.

14. The media of claim 9, further comprising qualifying the set of available subscriber components against at least one of geographic criteria, marketing criteria and language criteria.

15. The media of claim 9, further comprising communicating with an installation server to perform the service installation.

16. The media of claim 9, wherein the service installation comprises an initiation of a new service installation.

17. The media of claim 9, wherein the service installation comprises an update to an existing service installation.

18. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for installing a computer network service component on a client associated with a user, wherein the user subscribes to a computer network service, the method comprising:

receiving a service installation request from a user, wherein said service installation request comprises a request for installation of one or more service components associated with a computer network service onto a client device associated with the user;

referencing an available components list to identify a set of service components that are available to the user;

filtering the available component list according to at least one of geographic criteria, marketing criteria, and language criteria;

referencing a subscription database, wherein the subscription database comprises a subscribed services list that indicates service components that the user is permitted to receive based on the user'"'"'s subscription;

comparing the filtered available components list against the subscribed services list to identify a set of eligible components, wherein the set of eligible components comprises a set of available service components that the user is permitted to receive; and

presenting to the user a listing of the eligible components.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the one or more service components corresponds to at least one of network access, network services and media services.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the one or more service components corresponds to at least network services and media services, the network services comprising at least one of email service, Web hosting service, antivirus service and firewall service, and the media services comprising at least one of network image exchange, music download service and video download service.

21. The media of claim 18, wherein the service installation request is generated in an installation routine initiated via computer readable media.

22. The media of claim 18, wherein the service installation request is generated in an installation routine initiated via a network download.

23. The media of claim 18, wherein the service installation comprises an installation of a new component.

24. The media of claim 18, wherein the service installation comprises an update to an existing component.

25. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for performing a computer network service component installation, the method being performed by an installation engine hosted by a client device associated with a subscriber, the method comprising:

receiving a notification that the subscriber has initiated a process for installing a computer network service component on the client device associated with the subscriber;

authenticating the subscriber, wherein said authenticating comprises performing a lookup of account information received from the subscriber against a subscription database;

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to the user, wherein the GUI guides the user through installation of the computer network service component on the client;

referencing an available component list hosted by the subscription database, the available component list comprising a listing of computer network service components that are available for installation;

filtering the available component list according to marketing criteria;

accessing a subscribed services list hosted by the subscription database, the subscribed services list comprising a listing of computer network service components that the subscriber is permitted to install;

identifying a plurality of eligible components, each of the plurality of eligible components comprising an available computer network service component that the subscriber is permitted to install, wherein said identifying comprises comparing the filtered available component list against the subscribed services list;

presenting a set of installation options on the GUI associated with the client device, the set of installation options comprising the plurality of eligible components;

receiving a user selection of at least one eligible component;

installing the selected at least one eligible component on the client device; and

updating the subscription database to reflect the computer network service component installation.

26. The media of claim 25, wherein the computer network service component comprises a service component for facilitating at least one of network access, network services and media services.

27. The media of claim 26, wherein the computer network service component comprises a service component for facilitating network services, the network services comprising at least one of email service, Web hosting service, antivirus service and firewall service.

28. The media of claim 26, wherein the computer network service component comprises a service component for facilitating media services, the media services comprising at least one of network image exchange, music download service and video download service.

29. The media of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises retrieving the selected at least one eligible component from computer readable media.

30. The media of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises retrieving the selected at least one eligible component from a component store, the component store being hosted by a subscription server, wherein the subscription server is remote from the client device.

31. The media of claim 30, wherein the subscription database is hosted by a subscription server, the subscription server being remote from the client device.

32. The media claim 25, wherein the selected at least one eligible component comprises a new service component.

33. The media of claim 25, wherein the selected at least one eligible component comprises an update to an existing service component.